Smart Card and Method for Manufacturing Said Card

Abstract

The present invention relates to a smart card provided with an integrated circuit for identifying a user, storing and exchanging information with an electronic device, such as for example a mobile telephone, a personal computer, etc. The smart card is provided with additional communication contacts apart from those that are conventionally arranged on the integrated circuit itself, and it incorporates means allowing one of these cards provided with additional contacts to be able to be used without any problems in card readers that do not support these additional contacts. The present invention consists of the fact that the arrangement of these new contacts is not located on the surface of the smart card, plastic body of the card or microchip, preventing the conductive parts of the reader which are in contact with the smart card from causing any type of malfunction thereof. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing the previously mentioned smart card.

1 . A smart card comprising:
 a support made of a non-conductive material having an upper face and a lower face,   an integrated circuit attached to the support,   electrical terminals arranged in the upper face of the support, wherein the electrical terminals are electrically communicated with the integrated circuit, and   at least one inner electrical terminal arranged between the upper and lower faces of the support, wherein the at least one electrical inner terminal is electrically connected with the integrated circuit and is accessible from outside the support,   wherein the smart card is a SIM card, and wherein the electrical terminals and the at least one inner electrical terminal are compatible with a same type of smart card reader device.   
   
   
       2 . The smart card according to  claim 1 , wherein the support has an opening in correspondence with an inner electrical terminal providing access thereto from the upper face. 
   
   
       3 . The smart card according to  claim 1 , wherein the support has an opening in correspondence with an inner electrical terminal providing access thereto from the lower face. 
   
   
       4 . The smart card according to  claim 1 , wherein the support is made of plastic, wherein the upper and lower faces are substantially parallel to one another, and wherein the integrated circuit is embedded in a body of the support. 
   
   
       5 . The smart card according to  claim 1 , further comprising electrical conductors embedded in the support and communicating each inner electrical terminal with the integrated circuit. 
   
   
       6 . The smart card according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper face of the card comprises a first area with metallic parts corresponding to the electrical terminals of the integrated circuit and a second area adjacent to the first area, wherein at least one inner electrical terminal and its corresponding opening are arranged in the second area. 
   
   
       7 . The smart card according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper face of the card comprises a first area with metallic parts corresponding to the electrical terminals of the integrated circuit, and wherein at least one inner electrical terminal and its corresponding opening are arranged inside the first area with metallic parts. 
   
   
       8 . The smart card according to  claim 5 , wherein the inner electrical terminal and the electrical conductors are made of a material selected from: metal, conductive ink or silver ink. 
   
   
       9 . A method of manufacturing a smart card, the method comprising:
 attaching an integrated circuit to a support in a form of a sheet in which an upper face and a lower face are defined,   connecting electrical terminals arranged in the upper face to the integrated circuit,   locating between the upper and lower faces of the support at least one inner connecting terminal,   communicating the at least one inner connecting terminal with the integrated circuit with a conductive element, and   providing an opening in the support in correspondence with the inner connecting terminal such that the latter is accessible from outside the support,   wherein the electrical terminals and the at least one inner connecting terminal are compatible with a same type of smart card reader device.